It’s a Saturday where several unbeaten and one-loss teams don’t necessarily need memorable performances, they just need to survive.
Besides Georgia’s now-dreaded 3:30 p.m. game in Jacksonville against unbeaten Florida and Georgia Tech’s “my teammates are smarter than yours” night matchup in Nashville against Vanderbilt, there is a game in Knoxville that one can hardly wait to see the sideline antics.
No. 22 South Carolina (6-2) at Tennessee (3-4), 7:45 p.m., ESPN: It's Gas Pump U vs. Hot Air U. Last recruiting season, the Vols' Lane Kiffin took some heat for telling a recruit who decided to play for Steve Spurrier instead of Knoxville's boy wonder that he would end up pumping gas the rest of his life. It added to Kiffin's "foot in mouth" legacy that will be forgotten if the Vols keep playing as tough as they have against Florida and Alabama. But it won't be forgotten tonight by the guys in Garnet. Kiffin's smack is gaining more notoriety: Rapper Lil Wayne's new song, "Banned from TV," includes the lyric "Talk [expletive] like Lane Kiffin."
No. 5 USC (6-1) at No. 10 Oregon (6-1), 8 p.m., ESPN2: The Trojans get two final chances to prove that they can live up to the program's hype. The first is tonight in Eugene in front a raucous crowd that could make life difficult for freshman Matt Barkley. Both teams still have 5-2 Arizona in their future as well. Tonight's survivor will be ideally situated to play for the national title if it can finish an 11-1 season. The Eugene police are prepared for the fireworks. A "party patrol" will try to prevent a riot like in 1998 when an Oregon home game fell on Halloween night.
No. 3 Texas (7-0) at No. 14 Oklahoma State (6-1), 8 p.m., ABC: The Longhorns can throw a wrench into the Pac-10's title hopes and dreams by winning here. They aren't likely to even meet a worthy challenger, much less lose, if they can survive tonight. It's worth tuning in to see which Oklahoma State team shows up before you switch to the Pac-10 battle.
Four undefeated teams in no real danger
No. 8 Cincinnati (7-0) at Syracuse (3-4), noon, ESPNU: A fun one to check in on if for no other reason than to see former Duke point guard and present Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus prove that his leadership skills transcend the sport he plays.
Indiana (4-4) at No. 4 Iowa (8-0), noon, ESPN: Almost no game ever seems to be a laugher for the Hawkeyes, but maybe, finally, they'll have one. However, the Hoosiers did pull upsets in this series in both 2006 and 2007.
San Jose State (1-5) at No. 7 Boise State (7-0), 3 p.m., no TV: As the weeks progress, you will see Boise State continue to slip in the polls because of the lack of quality opposition. Today is another step in the slide. Boise has never lost to the Broncos.
UNLV (3-5) at No. 6 TCU (7-0), 4 p.m., Versus: TCU seems well on its way to being voted best team ever to go unbeaten but not asked to play in a BCS bowl. Today won't change the trajectory of their season. TCU has won 11 home games in a row with an average winning margin of 35 points.
Other games that may catch your eye
These are the games today that will be available by hitting the back button during commercials.
No. 25 Mississippi (5-2) at Auburn (5-3), 12:21 p.m., WPCH: A three-game losing skid brought a halt to the excitement on the Plains. A victory today will bring some relief and cause to believe that the Tigers can compete in that regular-season finale against Alabama. The Rebels might not be as good as advertised in the preseason, but they are plenty capable of finishing off a top 20 season.
No. 19 Miami (5-2) at Wake Forest (4-4), 3:30 p.m., ABC: The excitement around the Hurricanes has given way to a pedestrian season that figures to end up being a steppingstone and not the big turnaround everyone desired.
No. 12 Penn State (7-1) at Northwestern (5-3), 4:30 p.m., ESPN: By New Year's Day, the Nittany Lions are going to be craving a mulligan for that stumble against Iowa. They lead the Big Ten in 10 major stat categories and seven are on defense: rush defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense, pass defense, sacks and tackles for loss. They surrender fewer than 10 points per game.
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